Where did America’s War for Independence really begin? For two centuries, two towns have battled over bragging rights. A controversy ignited by a visit from the Revolutionary War hero Lafayette eventually escalated into open warfare involving accusations, depositions, and even a sitting president of the United States.

The Battle after the Battle takes a lighthearted look at two centuries of “local bickerings and petty jealousies” between the two towns, complete with bold graphics, historic artifacts, audio content, and hands-on displays. Visitors will be invited to vote for themselves whether Lexington or Concord has the better claim as the place the American Revolution really began.

Rarely seen artifacts on display include:

• The 1799 slate tablet commemorating the fight on Lexington Common

• The forty-foot long banner that greeted Marquis de Lafayette in 1825

• Stereoscope cards visitors can use to get a 3-D view of the 1875 Centennial celebrations

• The original Patriots’ Day proclamation issued by Governor Frederic Greenhalge in 1894, along with the quill pen he used to sign it.

“This brings up the great civil war now raging between the two towns…When Concord announced an oration, Lexington met it with another, and so both went on with processions, balls, unveiling of statues.”

-New York Times, April 17, 1875

As proof that the dispute between the two towns is largely a thing of the past, The Lexington Historical Society is delighted to be mounting the exhibit in partnership with the Concord Museum, which is putting on a simultaneous exhibit entitled The Shot Heard Round the World: April 19, 1775. The Concord exhibit presents an hour-by-hour chronology of April 19, 1775, with fifty authentic artifacts from that day, including several from Lexington.

The exhibit is open weekends 10 AM - 4PM. It is included with Buckman Tavern admission.

Credits: The Battle After the Battle An exhibit by the Lexington Historical Society

Special thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their support: The Concord Museum, New York City Hall, The American Antiquarian Society, Windsor Conservation, Lexington Town Offices, MegaPrint Inc., Plymouth, NH